NEW DELHI: Flights to and from Dubai — the biggest aviation hub for Indian globetrotters outside the country — are badly impacted with the UAE receiving its heaviest rainfall in last 75 years since late Monday. India has about 75 flights per day to Dubai that are operated by its and UAE carriers, say travel industry sources. According to the travel industry, 30-40 India flights were affected over Monday and Tuesday.
Apart from point-to-point travellers, Dubai also sees a lot of transfer traffic between India and rest of the world on Emirates’ flights. The biggest player on Dubai- India route, Emirates suspended check-in for passengers departing Dubai from 8 am to midnight on April 17 “due to operational challenges caused by bad weather and road conditions.” Emirates has 167 weekly flights between India and Dubai. Its low cost arm, Flydubai which has 30 weekly India flights, had suspended all flights till early Wednesday night and some of them were to start operating after 8 pm (local time Dubai).
An Air India spokesperson said: “Due to the impact of adverse weather in Dubai on April 16, we have had to cancel our flights to and from Dubai on April 16 and 17. We are doing our best to get affected passengers on their way as soon as possible by re-accommodating them on flights in the next few days. We are also offering a one-time date change waiver to passengers with valid tickets on 16 and 17 April, allowing them to reschedule their flights to future dates within the validity of the tickets.”
An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline has had “13 cancellations from Dubai International Airport (DXB) as of now. We are yet to take a call on the last two departures of the day.” The airline has “offered full refund and free move to the passengers.”
Airlines say the other airports in the UAE, like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah that have direct flights to and from India, have not been battered as severely by torrential rains like Dubai. But flights at these places, which saw significant diversions from Dubai-bound flights on late Monday and early Tuesday, are getting delayed too.
A spokesperson for Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said it’s “flights are operating as usual after the adverse weather conditions witnessed… although some might still experience minor delays. Guests are still required to allow plenty of time to travel to the airport, and to check etihad.com to check the status of their flight. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority.”
In a statement, Air India Express said: “Inclement weather has impacted air travel to the UAE, causing delays and diversions. 3-4 of our flights on April 16 and 17 were among those delayed. We regret the inconvenience and have offered the option of a full refund or free rescheduling to all impacted guests.”
Comments were sought from other airlines and the same were awaited till the time of going to press.
Apart from point-to-point travellers, Dubai also sees a lot of transfer traffic between India and rest of the world on Emirates’ flights. The biggest player on Dubai- India route, Emirates suspended check-in for passengers departing Dubai from 8 am to midnight on April 17 “due to operational challenges caused by bad weather and road conditions.” Emirates has 167 weekly flights between India and Dubai. Its low cost arm, Flydubai which has 30 weekly India flights, had suspended all flights till early Wednesday night and some of them were to start operating after 8 pm (local time Dubai).
An Air India spokesperson said: “Due to the impact of adverse weather in Dubai on April 16, we have had to cancel our flights to and from Dubai on April 16 and 17. We are doing our best to get affected passengers on their way as soon as possible by re-accommodating them on flights in the next few days. We are also offering a one-time date change waiver to passengers with valid tickets on 16 and 17 April, allowing them to reschedule their flights to future dates within the validity of the tickets.”
An IndiGo spokesperson said the airline has had “13 cancellations from Dubai International Airport (DXB) as of now. We are yet to take a call on the last two departures of the day.” The airline has “offered full refund and free move to the passengers.”
Airlines say the other airports in the UAE, like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah that have direct flights to and from India, have not been battered as severely by torrential rains like Dubai. But flights at these places, which saw significant diversions from Dubai-bound flights on late Monday and early Tuesday, are getting delayed too.
A spokesperson for Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said it’s “flights are operating as usual after the adverse weather conditions witnessed… although some might still experience minor delays. Guests are still required to allow plenty of time to travel to the airport, and to check etihad.com to check the status of their flight. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew is our number one priority.”
In a statement, Air India Express said: “Inclement weather has impacted air travel to the UAE, causing delays and diversions. 3-4 of our flights on April 16 and 17 were among those delayed. We regret the inconvenience and have offered the option of a full refund or free rescheduling to all impacted guests.”
Comments were sought from other airlines and the same were awaited till the time of going to press.